Sidegrading

The current road bike was acquired through a complicated series of
trades which resulted in the manager of the local bike shop buying it
for me (though I have no idea how much of the 1398 rmb price tag
actually ended up coming out of his pocket).

The original bottom bracket was pretty crappy and was replaced for
free in the first week. I paid 100rmb out of the cost of my friend
Julie's secondhand bike and we traded brakes and shifters. Then some
new handlebars (80rmb), two water bottle cages (20rmb), a odometer
(100rmb) and my Brooks and this bike was pretty well set up as a
commuter.

Didn't need to have anything more done to it.

Wasn't going to have anything more done to it.

Okay, except for the new fork when I crashed but that was paid for by
the driver of the van and was only another 60rmb.

It was as upgraded as it was ever gonna get. In the distant future of
days after I have a race bike (predicted to be sometime in April) if
the race bike were to be upgraded I move the old components down to
this frame but this bike was done with. It was finished. Nothing
more was going to be done.

Yeah, right.

Spring Festival and the cycling association's yearly Round the Island
ride are coming. This year will be four days and a bit over six
hundred kilometers. Lots of climbs cause three of the people
responsible for route planning are sadistic *******s who actually
enjoy mountain climbs.

Too many paved roads to even consider bringing my mountain bike, even
if that bike were a shade too big to be comfortable over four days of
solid riding.

But the current road bike really isn't very well geared for climbing.
Forgetting my general not liking the direction up the bike itself
really isn't well set up for climbing.

The plan: An 8 speed mountain bike cassette.

The reality: new cassette, new chain, new derailleur, two new
handbuilt wheels.

How'd that happen?

Other than the obvious fact that I'm a junkie and I was in a toy store
with money in my pocket.

The mechanic _wanted_ to just sell me a triple and be done with it. A
triple was easy. But I was set on a new cassette. Not only because
the double I got with the bike was Shimano Sora (due to the crankset
mysteriously not being there when it was taken down from the third
floor) but also because I don't think I'd get nearly as much an
increase in range by having 3x6 as I would in 2x8. Too many
overlapping gear combinations.

Only a new cassette wouldn't work with my current derailleur or hub.
In fact none of the cassettes that they had for sale would. (Don't
ask me why. Once upon a time I would have accused them of selling me
up for profit margin. But my current relationship with them means
that I buy same as cost.)

I can spend 60rmb for something about the same quality as what I've
got, or I can spend 120rmb for something a lot nicer. An extra seven
dollars American. I get the nice derailleur. And the secondhand 105
hubs because they're only 288rmb for the pair instead of 100rmb for
one hub that I can feel the non-smoothness of as I turn it by hand.

32 spoke hubs. Current wheels are 36 spokes. Guess that means new
rims too.

But when all is said and done with I only spent 800rmb. The triple I
didn't buy was 600rmb. And I've got a pretty good parts bin started
now.

-M